Game Wrap and Reaction: Indiana 36 No. 8 Penn State 35
/
Image: Indiana University Athletics
Written by Sammy Jacobs (@Hoosier_Huddle)
Opponent: Penn State Nittany Lions
Location: Saturday, October 24, 2020
Why They Played: The Hoosiers and Nittany Lions played as divisional foes to open up the 2020 season.
What The Game Meant: In a short season with no non-conference games, a win could propel either team to a special season. For the Hoosiers, the win is the first time they beat a top-10 team since 1987 and the first time at home doing that since 1967. Tom Allen checked boxes last season and just checked a big one off the list on Saturday.
Top Offensive Performers:
Michael Penix, QB, Indiana- For most of the game Michael Penix looked like he hadn’t played football in nearly a year. His throws were off, he turned the ball over and he was constantly under duress. However, Penix came alive in the fourth quarter and overtime where he completed 12 passes for 110 yards. He ran in a touchdown, two two-point conversions and threw for a touchdown in overtime. On the day he finished 19-of-33 passing for 170 yards with a touchdown and an interception. He scored 10 of Indiana’s points in the second half.
Stevie Scott, RB, Indiana- It was not the best of running days for Scott, but he did find the end zone twice in the first half and finished with 57 yards on 20 carries and added 11 yards receiving.
Sean Clifford, QB, Penn State-Clifford nearly carried Penn State to victory on his own. He completed 24-of-35 passes for 238 yards and three touchdowns and then added a 119 yards and another score on 17 carries.
Top Defensive Performers
Jamar Johnson, Husky, Indiana- Johnson accounted for two of the Hoosiers three takeaways Saturday as he intercepted a pass and forced a fumble. It was his third-straight game with an interception dating back to last season. He also made 10 total tackles, which was second on the team.
Devon Matthews, DB, Indiana- Matthews made some big defensive plays at safety for IU. He helped in many ways. Along with eight tackles, ‘Monster’ had a sack and two pass breakups.
Micah McFadden, LB, Indiana- McFadden was Indiana’s leading tackler with 11 stops, which included one for a loss.
Shaka Toney, DL, Penn State-Toney abused the Indiana offensive line most of the afternoon as he collected two sacks and seven tackles. He is a sure-fire next level player.
Special Team Performance
The Hoosiers were the better special teams performer on Saturday, but there were still some issues. Let’s start with the good. Charles Campbell hit both of his field goals (34,48) and both of his extra points on the day.
Punter Haydon Whitehead averaged 42.8 yards per punt and did not allow a return. He pinned Penn State inside their own 20-yard line once and had a long punt of 47 yards.
While the Hoosiers did not return a kickoff, Reese Taylor provided a lift at punt returner with a 21-yard return that helped set up an IU score.
Jared Smolar had a solid day outside of one kickoff. He had three touchbacks on six attempts, but his mis-executed squib kick gave Penn State a chance after the Hoosiers tied the game up. The good news is that Penn State kicker Jordan Stout, who is their kickoff specialist, missed a 57-yard attempt.
Key Stat(s)
5-5 vs. 2-6
Indiana was a perfect 5-of-5 in the red zone scoring four touchdowns and a field goal. Meanwhile Penn State was just 2-of-6 as they missed two short field goals and had a turn over on downs.
But, what else could it be except for that millimeter. The Hoosiers won the game on a terrific effort from Michael Penix as he stretched as far as he could to just barely get the nose of the football across the plane of the goal line for the game winning score. It is a play that will be remembered forever for Hoosier fans.
Turning Point
It’s crazy to say, but the turning point was Penn State scoring a touchdown to go up eight points with 1:42 left in the game. Indiana let Devyn Ford run into the end zone so the Hoosiers could get the ball back. It was the only way Indiana had a chance at winning. All Penn State had to do was take a knee and force IU to use their final time out.
I Knew it Was Over When…
After what seemed like an eternity on a review, when the official came back and said the call stands as called on the field. Some Hoosier fans and many Penn State fans still may not believe the game ended that way.
Players of the Game
Jamar Johnson, Indiana- Johnson’s two takeaways either helped IU score or took points off the board for Penn State and in a one point game, that’s huge.
Sean Clifford, Penn State- The Penn State quarterback made the big plays when Penn State needed them to stay alive in the game. Without his four touchdowns, who knows what would have happened.
What I took away from the game
The Hoosiers needed this win. The game was playing out like every other close call since 1987. However, this time it was different. The Hoosiers blew a six-point late lead in a game they led for the majority of. They were outgained on offense and Penn State held the ball for 40-plus minutes. Indiana didn’t blink. They took a gift from Penn State and marched down the field to tie the game. Then Tom Allen, who is tired of being close, rolled the dice on a two-point conversion in overtime and the rest is history.
While this is a great win for the Hoosiers, they now need to back up next week on the road against an improved Rutgers team who forced seven takeaways in a win at Michigan State. The Hoosiers have had ranked wins in the past, but could never build on them. In 2014, they followed up the win over Missouri with a dud at home against Maryland. In 2016 after beating Michigan State, they lost three in a row. The win needs to be celebrated. It was cathartic in many ways to many people, but there is still work to be done.
The Hoosiers did not play their ‘A-game’ on Saturday, heck that may not have been their ‘B-game’ on offense. Penix looked off from the start as he struggled finding a rhythm after nearly a year away from the field.
The offensive line looked porous against a very good front and allowed three sacks. While the run game accounted for three scores, the running backs averaged a miniscule 2.9 yards per carry. If you factor in Penix and sacks, the Hoosiers averaged 1.6 yards per attempt. That needs to be fixed.
There were too many dropped passes as well. The Hoosiers had a chance to ice the game in the fourth quarter, but a wide-open Peyton Hendershot dropped a pass, that may have been thrown with too much zip, that may have resulted in six points.
There’s a lot to clean up and many of these issues are probably because players haven’t played a live football game against an opponent since January.
The Hoosiers did some really good things as well. Three takeaways, a huge fourth down stop and three Penn State missed field goals helped keep the Hoosiers in the game while the offense figured it out. Special teams, outside of the failed squib kick, provided a lift.
The Hoosiers will likely be ranked heading into next week’s game at Rutgers, but any Hoosier fan, coach or player will tell you the mission is not over just because they finally got past a top-10 team. In order to really flip the script, the Hoosiers will need to back it up with a win against Rutgers on Halloween. In order to do that they must play a much cleaner game.